1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to patient ventilation systems, and more particularly to a ventilation system incorporating a cooling device which is uniquely configured to provide cooled air to a patient receiving artificial ventilation.
2. Description of the Related Art
The respiration system of the human body provides needed oxygen intake, oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, and carbon dioxide expulsion functions, each of which involves the lungs. In this regard, the lungs function as a gas-exchanging organ in which inhaled oxygen is passed to the blood, and collected carbon dioxide is passed from the blood to the air. Additionally, the lungs function as a respiratory pump that transports oxygen-rich air into the lungs, and the carbon dioxide-rich air out of the lungs. The breathing center in the brain, central and peripheral nerves, the osseous thorax and the breathing musculature as well as free, stable respiratory paths are necessary for a correct functioning of the respiratory pump.
With patients suffering from certain diseases or other serious medical conditions, there is a constant overload on or exhaustion of the respiratory pump. A typical syndrome is pulmonary emphysema with flat-standing diaphragms without the ability to contract, and the respiratory paths are usually extremely slack and tend to collapse. Consequentially, the patient experiences difficulty with breathing deeply enough and providing the body with needed oxygen while also expelling waste carbon dioxide.
The use of ventilator and breathing circuits to provide respiratory assistance to a patient is well known in the medical arts. The ventilator and breathing circuit provides mechanical assistance to patients who are having difficulty breathing on their own. In certain types of breathing circuits, a ventilator unit or flow generator is fluidly connected to a ventilation mask worn by the patient. Such fluid connection is typically achieved through the use of ventilation tubing or a tubing circuit which is operative to deliver the ventilation gas from the flow generator to the patient via the mask worn by the patient.
Oftentimes to prevent additional damage to the patient it is beneficial to facilitate a reduction in the body temperature of the patient. For example, it is known that a patient experiencing myocardial infarction tends to have an extremely elevated body temperature that often times leads to tissue damage. As such, in certain circumstances it would be beneficial to lower the temperature of the patient's body. It is known that filling the lungs with cooled air will reduce the overall body temperature of the patient via heat exchange with the blood circulating into and out of the lungs. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a ventilation system that provides cooled air to the patient.